Evalution

For my final major project I decided to do a set of vintage style portraits using studio shoots and location shoots. I did undergo some problem with this project; weather, models, timings, etc. Originally when I started this project I wanted to use more models and stay out of the studio, use grungy locations to contrast with the style of my models. Almost do "old vs new", as it turned out on the days that both me and my models were available the weather either stopped or restricted the shoots. I also wanted to use more than two models but, again, availability and bad planning stopped that.

My location shoot with Lauren was extremely successful; I managed to shoot four different looks with her, based the 50's and the 70's/80's. The location for this shoot was exactly what I was looking for, it was a old bridge along the Railway Walk in Hadleigh, and with the outfits Lauren wore contrasted perfectly. My studio shoot with Charley I really wanted to show the more alternative side of vintage fashion, I based his shoot more around the style of the 2006 film This is England, which is set in 1983. The style of the skinhead characters was the style I really liked. I feel that this shoot went very successfully and Charley was the perfect model for it and really brought my vision to life. 

The research I gathered prior to starting this project was a collaboration of internet based research and my own passion. Vintage style, and the people that have kept it alive are one of my main interests. I feel having all this existing knowledge and expanding on it by doing further research really helped me when carrying out my shoots because I knew exactly how I wanted the picture to look, even down to the positions I wanted my models in. Also when it came to post-production of the images I was able to really enhance the vintage feel. Although most of my research was internet based, I feel that my person interest into the topic I picked was the biggest help to me. 

During this project, the skills that I have managed to gain and improve on, are my skills within a studio; I was more confident with instructing my model on what to do, I got to use different lighting set-ups so I got image I wanted and the whole shoot was more fast pace than I was used to which I feel helped push me to achieve more. Also I feel my skills within post-production have improved has I used techniques in PhotoShop that I have never used before. I think that because I spent more time on post trying to make the images look a certain way, that I now feel more confident. 

If i was to carry out this project again I would have done some extra planning and made alternative arrangements for the shoots when the weather made shooting on location difficult. Also I would have made a better schedule with my models so I had more time to shoot four instead of two, like I had originally planned to. I used digital for both shoots, and now looking at the images I feel that I should have done some on film as well as digital as the vintage effect would have been more authentic, and it would have given me the option to choose which set of images I liked the most. Given all these minor issues and bad planning, I feel both shoot were successful and I am more than pleased with my final images.They came out exactly how I first intended them too, and even though I wasn't doing the images for my models it was a massive compliment when they both said how happy they were with them.